Drought News

Sausalito -
Marine scientists say 2015 could be the worst year on record for California’s iconic sea lion, the seemingly friendly marine mammal facing an uncharacteristic winter die-off that has animal lovers, beachgoers and environmentalists traumatized.

Brazil's Sao Paulo state is experiencing their third year of drought, with soaring temperatures and rainfall averages well below normal. With the country's economy in a slump, about the only people doing a brisk business are the water tankers.

Environmental issues have been front page news for all of 2014. From the seemingly mundane to international events like the People's Climate March in September. Let's take a look at some of the stories that are still having an impact on our planet.

Monterey -
The biggest rainstorms in years are expected to continue to pound Northern California for days after resuming Wednesday, bringing a welcome end to three years of drought but ushering in concerns about landslides, flooding and falling trees.

After examining the data from 16 extreme weather events occurring last year, from severe floods in Colorado to California's on-going drought, scientists have come to a startling conclusion. The drought cannot be linked to climate change.

The extreme drought now affecting Sao Paulo, Brazil is thought to be because of the absence of South America's "flying Rivers." No, they are not a mythical entity, but the name given the clouds of water vapor that bring rains to Southeastern Brazil.

Houston -
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has denied the emergency use request filed by the state of Texas to use hazardous herbicide propazine to kill superweeds infesting the state’s cotton.

Wichita Falls -
Wichita Falls, near the Oklahoma border, has begun reusing millions of gallons of water at the River Road Waste Treatment plant. The purified water is being diverted as drinking water. The move has been initiated to help combat a severe drought.

Because of the ongoing drought in the southwestern United States, water levels in Nevada's Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the country, will be depleted to its lowest levels since the 1930s when the Hoover Dam was finished.

Mendota -
Farmworkers throughout California's usually abundant Central Valley are hurting financially these days as a continuing drought causes lower yields and planting cutbacks throughout the fertile region.

Long-distance cattle drives were common in the western part of the United States, dating back to the 1540s, when Spaniards began driving their cattle northward from Mexico to California. Then, with the discovery of gold, the demand for beef grew.

The UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) issued a stern warning to the world on Monday, saying food production must be increased a staggering 60 percent by mid-century to avoid mass starvation, social unrest and terrorism.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over 20 million people in the Sahel region are at risk of hunger and will need humanitarian assistance in 2014, around 8.7 million more than in 2013.

California Governor Jerry Brown, in his State of the State speech on Wednesday was upbeat, yet he warned the legislature of the need for being cautious, saying "We are not out of the woods, and we are certainly not out of the drought."

Toronto -
The latest documentary tracking the photographic project of Canada's Edward Burtynsky is visually mesmerizing, but it's also layered with an urgent message on how mankind has mishandled water and its ecological value.

Citing President Obama’s call from last week’s climate speech for federal agencies to help communities prepare for extreme weather events, NOAA said yesterday that it will begin releasing monthly drought outlooks, or MDOs.

Boston -
Scientists meeting at this week’s annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Boston have warned that extreme weather events like Hurricane Sandy and the Texas drought are here to stay.

Thebes -
Following the worst drought in half a century, that has brought water levels in the Mississippi close to historic lows, agencies are reporting that this could shut down all shipping in a matter of weeks.